Tuesday, 23 August 2016 - 12:00am
Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Photo/Kim Haughton | Mubinoddin Shaikh, former Taliban radical, addresses the General Assembly High-level Thematic Conversation on Children and Youth affected by Violent Extremism.
When he was 19, Mubin Shaikh, believed that ¡°you could change the world overnight, and you could do it through violence.¡±
But the former-supporter of the Afghanistan-based Taliban extremist group, told Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Radio for its latest podcast, , that he realized a commitment to violence was a perversion of his religious faith that would be self-defeating, and he has some advice to young would-be terrorists today.
¡°What are you going to be left with, other than violence? I think they need to understand that they have a role to play,¡± he said, adding: ¡°Their role has to be constructive. If it¡¯s going to be destructive, then you are just going to be another statistic. All they¡¯re left in is a loop of violence that only ends in death.¡±
Now 40, the Canadian national, who was indoctrinated by the Taliban in Pakistan in the 1990s, is committed to what he calls a revival of classical or traditional Islam, and helping to re-educate young people vulnerable to jihadist ideology.
He was at United Nations Headquarters in early June, as a panellist in a day-long convened by the General Assembly.
In January, the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon presented to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Member States a Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism, calling for a comprehensive approach addressing not only security issues, but ¡°systematic preventive steps to address the underlying conditions that drive individuals to radicalize and join violent extremist groups,¡± according to the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force.
Mr. Shaikh told Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Radio producer, Matthew Wells that the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ had an important and significant role in helping turn young people away from joining terrorist groups such as Da¡¯esh (also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant or ISIL), Al-Qaida, Boko Haram, and Al-Shabaab.
¡°The countries that are most affected, their representatives are here¡± he said.
He added that the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ provided ¡°a forum itself, for young people to come and speak, to hear what people at this level are saying [¡] People at the United Nations saying, Islamaphobia¡¯s a problem, don¡¯t just pick on Muslims [¡] If they hear this at that level, then it¡¯s easier for them to disseminate it at lower levels.¡±
Mr. Shaikh described how he rejoiced as the first plane hit New York¡¯s World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, but then fundamentally re-thought his entire relationship with his faith and jihadism, following the attacks.
He went on to become a counter-terrorism operative for the Canadian government, and is currently studying for a PhD at the University of Liverpool, in the United Kingdom.